


Unexpected Guests

by marauders_assemble



Series: Marvel Femslash Bingo 2020 [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Kittens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:34:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27928354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marauders_assemble/pseuds/marauders_assemble
Summary: When they come back from a long undercover op, Maria and Natasha are surprised to discover that Liho is not as alone as they left her...
Relationships: Maria Hill/Natasha Romanov, Peggy Carter/Angie Martinelli
Series: Marvel Femslash Bingo 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1963177
Comments: 6
Kudos: 112





	Unexpected Guests

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Marvel Femslash Bingo 2020, prompt: kittens

When Maria finally sat on her couch, it felt like heaven on earth. She had been away for the last two months, on an undercover mission in Japan. It had been jarring and nerve-wracking, but it hadn’t gone completely FUBAR, so that was that. Plus, she had a whole weekend for herself before having to head into work again. Granted, she would probably spend most of it on the phone with various SHIELD officials to stop everything from going sideways (sometimes, it seemed like she was the only one holding this place together), but still, she intended to make the most of it. 

Comfy clothes on, she curled up with a book she had meant to read for a long time, happy to finally get a moment to begin it. She had barely opened it when she heard steps in the hallway. Raising her gaze, she was graced with the sight of her beautiful redhead girlfriend in cute duck pajamas, drying her hair with a towel. It was such a casual thing, yet Maria was once again filled with love when she saw her. 

“Hey Masha,” she whispered, coming to cuddle with her. Natasha rested her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder while she returned to her book. She had missed this, the closeness, while undercover. Their aliases were merely colleagues, so they didn’t have the possibility to have more than professional rapports in the last few weeks. She knew Maria understood; she tended to get extra-cuddly after long assignments. 

They spent a few minutes quietly, merely enjoying each other’s company, before Natasha broke the silence. “Hey, have you seen Liho? She didn’t come to the door when we arrived and I haven’t seen her since…” 

Maria pondered the question for a moment. “No, I don’t think so.” Silence. She knew how much that cat meant to Nat, and she had grown fond of it herself. Sharon had come and fed her during their absence, but it was weird that she hadn’t shown up to greet them. She hated to even consider getting up, but continued nevertheless, somewhat reluctantly. “You want me to help you look for her?” 

“Thank you” Natasha’s beam was payment enough for Maria, and they both got up to locate the little black cat. 

After a few minutes, Maria heard a quiet “Oh my god,” followed by a “Maria, come and see this!” Intrigued, she entered their bedroom to find Natasha crouching in front of the wardrobe, peering at something inside. Noticing Maria, she wordlessly gestured for her to come closer. 

On the closet floor, in a pile of old clothes they had intended to give away, was Liho, curled up around two, three, four tiny sleeping kittens. “Oh… What? How?” 

Natasha smirked at her girlfriend’s bewildered expression. “Well, you see, when a mommy and a daddy cat love each other very much…” 

She rolled her eyes. “No, I meant she wasn’t neutered?”

“Well, she just started to show up and when it was clear she was going to stick around, I took her to the vet, but I didn’t get around to actually have her neutered. Plus, she really doesn’t go outside that much anymore and she’s not obnoxious or anything when she’s in heat, so I kind of forgot about it.” For anyone else, it would be a lame excuse, but Maria was familiar enough with the schedule of a SHIELD agent, never mind the Black Widow’s, to believe that entirely. Still, they now had a furry problem on their hands. 

“Yeah, I get it. But what are we gonna do with them? We can barely care for one cat, never mind five!” 

“I hear it’s not that much more trouble,” joked Natasha, but quickly stopped when she saw the look on Maria’s face. “I mean, we can take care of them until they’re old enough, and then we can find them good families.” 

Maria had about a million more objections, but taking another glance at the little things, she felt her heart melt. They were so tiny and defenceless! They couldn’t be more than a few days old, a week at most. She nodded once, making her decision. “Alright, I guess we have four new roommates now.” She was rewarded with a huge beam from her girlfriend. “Let’s get them somewhere more comfortable to sleep in.” 

As she walked towards the kitchen, she tried to process everything that had just happened. She would need to have a talk with Sharon about the things worth mentioning to someone when you catsit for them.

* * *

A few weeks later

“So, you know we’re going to have to start thinking about finding a new home for these guys, right?” 

“Hmm?” Maria didn’t look up from the paperwork she was doing. Professionally speaking, working from home wasn’t the best idea (classified files and all that). However, at the moment, with her amazing girlfriend in the kitchen and a kitten curled up on her lap, she couldn’t remember what the downsides were. Of course, she had heard Nat perfectly well, but this way she could try to buy herself some time. 

Unfortunately, being in a relationship with the Black Widow also meant nothing went unnoticed. “I know you heard me, Hill.” 

She sighed and closed her tablet. “Yeah, I know, it’s just… They’re still so little! We can’t give them away yet, they still need us! Look!” She picked up the closest cat and started talking in a high-pitched voice. “Don’t abandon us, mama Nat! We wanna stay with you!” 

Natasha chuckled. “You’re such a dork.” Coming closer, she sat on the couch, facing Maria. Her expression grew serious once more. “But seriously, we’re going to have to start looking. I haven’t gone on any long missions in a while, and you neither, but we can’t keep them forever, and the younger they are, the easier they’ll adapt to a new home.” 

“I know all that. I guess I didn’t think I’d grow so fond of them.” She chuckled. “When did you become the rational one?”

Nat swatted her girlfriend’s arm. “I am very rational, thank you very much.” She smiled fondly when Maria absentmindedly placed a kiss on the kitten’s head. Her voice grew soft. “Hey, don’t worry, we’ll find them good homes.” 

Maria smiled. “I know.” She leaned in to peck Natasha’s lips, but the redhead had other ideas. She grabbed the front of her shirt and quickly deepened the kiss. Maria eagerly gave in and was moving to pull Natasha closer when something landed on her head. She jerked back in surprise, the movement enough to make an adventurous tiny cat fall on the floor. Undeterred, he happily started to climb her leg. The flabbergasted expression on the brunette’s face was enough to make Natasha laugh. She was quickly joined by Maria. “Okay, I might not miss that part.” 

Looking up, her gaze seemed to fixate on something behind Natasha’s head. A smile slowly bloomed on her lips. “I might have an idea. I have to make a phone call.” On that, she exited the room swiftly, leaving the redhead staring at the place she just left in confusion. A quick look behind her showed her a mosaic of pictures covering the wall. She shrugged. Maria would tell her when she was ready. She scooped up the kitten who had fallen to the floor when Maria had gotten up and resolved to take a family portrait of the seven of them before the litter left. 

* * *

A few days later, the couple were waiting on the steps of a beautiful farmhouse, surrounded by acres upon acres of fields on either side. Natasha held a large carrier in both arms, from which emerged periodically a plaintive yowl. “Shh, guys, it won’t be long now.” She directed her next words towards Maria. “Are you sure they’re home?” 

As Maria opened her mouth to reply, the door opened widely, revealing a small white-haired woman smiling from ear to ear. “Maria! Natasha! It’s so good to see you! Come in, come in!” Retreating into the house, she called out. “English, the girls are here!” 

Natasha and Maria made their way into the building as their host kept showering them with questions they barely had time to answer. An English voice echoed in the house, cutting short to the other woman’s ramblings. “Angie, dearest, let them breathe, they’ve only just arrived.” Smiling warmly, she greeted the couple. “Hello, my darlings.” 

The redhead carefully placed her package on the ground as Maria immediately went to hug the two elderly women. “Aunt Peggy, Aunt Angie, it’s so good to see you guys.” 

Natasha stood awkwardly in the background, still not entirely at ease with the couple, before Angie pulled her in. “Natasha, you take good care of our Maria?” 

“I do my best, but you know Carter women, always diving headfirst into danger.” She shared with her a knowing look. From what she had gathered from the stories, Peggy and Angie had had their fair share of adventures in their time.

“As if you were any better.” Maria had sneaked up behind her and snaked an arm around her waist, before depositing a kiss on her temple. She wasn’t normally one for PDA, but here, in her childhood house, with her aunts, she felt at home and had to share it with her girlfriend. 

“Aw, Peg, look how cute they are,” said Angie with a grin. “Now, let’s move this to the living room, shall we? I’m not getting any younger,” she chuckled. 

“Oh, I don’t know about that, darling, you still seem awfully spry to me,” replied her wife with a warm smile, but Natasha didn’t miss the way she relied heavily on her cane or the relief in her eyes when she finally sat down. Maria, busy with the carrier, was oblivious to it, but the redhead knew she would have to broach the subject with her soon. However, she kept smiling and filed it away for later; today was a happy day. 

The spy carefully opened the top of the carrier and grabbed a tabby kitten, which she passed to Maria, before taking for herself the other occupant of the cage, a tiny little grey cat. “So, meet Piuma and Myshka.” 

“Feather and mouse; strange names for cats,” commented in an even tone Peggy, but her eyes were glistening with mirth and a smile danced on her lips. 

“Well, it seemed fitting. I mean, look at him,” the redhead said, holding up Myshka. “Don’t you think he looks like a mouse?”

“He kinda does,” admitted Angie. She gestured towards the cat. “Can I?” 

“Yes, of course! They’re yours now,” answered Natasha with a smile. She delicately transferred the small feline into the older woman’s arms and, through the corner of her eye, noticed Maria doing the same with Peggy. The next few minutes were filled with coos and quiet words of adoration. 

Maria took her girlfriend by the waist as the redhead rested her head on her shoulder. “They’re going to be so happy, the four of them together,” whispered Natasha.

“Yeah, I know.” The couple had decided to keep another kitten to themselves, to keep Liho company. 

After a few quiet seconds, Natasha asked: “How do you think Fury will react when the last one shows up on his doorstep?” 

Maria’s bark of laughter echoed through the room. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Kudos and comments are always appreciated:)


End file.
